Pains: Labor and Otherwise
by weirdgirl42
Summary: Fifth in the "Be There" series. Title pretty much says it all. TJ will feature in this story but plenty of Chloe/Rush as well.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own SGU. I know, aren't you all just shocked?_

_Author's Note: This is the fifth story in my "Be There" series. You don't necessarily have to read the other parts first (but be aware this has established Chloe/Rush) however you might enjoy them if you haven't read them yet._

**Pains-Labor and Otherwise**

"Hey," TJ said as Chloe walked into the sick bay. "The boys kick you out of the control room?"

Chloe laughed. "No. I just started getting headaches from staring and papers full of Ancient. Came to see if you needed any help."

TJ shrugged. "I'm cataloging some of the new plants we got the last time we stopped. You can separate, I'll label."

They worked quickly side by side for a while. "How's the leg doing?" TJ asked. It had been several weeks since Chloe's accident and surgery.

"Alright. The scar isn't too terrible. Luckily I refrained from scratching the stitches out. It could have been a lot worse."

"That is definitely true," TJ agreed.

They worked for another half hour and Chloe was about to ask TJ if she wanted to get some food when all of a sudden the lights flickered. The two women looked up at the ceiling and then back at each other. The lights flickered a few more times before going off completely. At the same time, the door closed and the light from the control panel went off.

"Well that can't be a good sign," Chloe said. The room wasn't completely dark, some light from the FTL trail came through, and she could see from the expression on TJ's face that the medic agreed with the statement.

TJ's radio crackled to life and they listened as Rush and Eli explained to Young that Destiny seemed to be recalibrating something. Nothing was wrong with life support and the power should return soon. Young sent a message for everyone to stay calm and just sit tight.

Chloe sat back down on the bed. TJ moved to the chair next to the bed and sat down as well. For a while they just sat. When it became clear that the light was probably not coming back right away, Chloe let out a breath.

"So," she said. "How're you feeling?"

TJ reached down and placed a hand over her protruding stomach. She was due in just over a week. "Strange," she replied. "I'm ready for him or her to be born but…"

"We're still here," Chloe finished for her.

"Right. I think a part of me was really hoping Rush would have figured out a way home by now."

"He is trying. No matter what anyone thinks."

TJ cringed. "I'm sorry. I know he is. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay," Chloe said.

Another round of silence. This time it was TJ who broke it. "You know I never asked you, when did you two…I mean how long…"

"After we got back from the perfect planet. Right after the whole fiasco with the pressure fluctuations."

"Really?"

Chloe gave a wry smile. "Surprised I haven't run away crying yet?"

"No," TJ said. "I would have guessed earlier."

This took Chloe by surprise. So far the reaction to her and Rush together had caused nothing but shock and disbelief. "You would have?"

"All the time you guys spent together after…after the aliens. I just assumed sometime around the…the coup."

Chloe shook her head. "No it took a lot longer."

"But then on the planet/ You always seemed to be missing something. Like you didn't really want to stay. And it couldn't have been Matt you were missing."

"No," Chloe said quietly. "It wasn't."

"So I just figured…"

Neither woman knew what to say from there. Chloe hadn't realized until this moment that she'd never spoken with TJ about her relationship with Rush. She hoped that she and the medic were still good enough friends that she wouldn't have to justify her feelings. She was tired of the looks, the snickers, and the whispering that stopped whenever she walked into a room. It had been almost four months. But the story of the young senator's daughter and the gruff scientist had yet to have been replaced on the ship's rumor mill.

Chloe had selfishly hoped that news of TJ carrying Colonel Young's baby would take some of the pressure off her and Rush. But Young had made it clear that gossip and disparaging remarks about his child would have consequences. It appeared as though the crew was more afraid of him than they were of Rush and Chloe.

"You're lucky you know," TJ said.

Chloe was shaken out of her thoughts and looked over at her companion. "What?"

"The way he looks at you. The way he acts around you. He really cares about you."

"Nick doesn't do things halfway."

TJ looked down at her swollen belly, feeling a wave of emotion come over her. "No," she replied, "he doesn't."

The sadness in her words was not lost on Chloe. "Colonel Young cares about you a lot," she said. "And he cares about the baby."

"I know. But not enough to tell his wife."

This revelation took Chloe aback. "He hasn't told her? We all assumed…"

"He says that if we get back he will. But while were stuck out here there's no point."

Chloe didn't know what to say. She had long believed that Colonel Young may not be the honorable, fearless leader they all needed. But she couldn't believe he would put TJ in this position. She couldn't imagine what the other woman must be going through. So she reached over and covered the slightly older woman's hand with her own.

"It'll be okay," TJ said, the words holding more assurance than she felt. "Whatever happens, it's not this baby's fault. And I'll still love him or her."

Chloe grinned, her smile bright enough to see even in the darkness. "We all will."

TJ swiped at the tears that had formed in her eyes. "So," she said, clearly ready to change the subject. "What's it like?"

Chloe released TJ's hand. "What's what like?" she asked as she rearranged herself into a more comfortable position on the bed.

"Oh come on," TJ said, her voice now playful.

"What?" Chloe still didn't get it.

"Rush. You. You and Rush. Are you gonna make me spell it out?"

Chloe's face flushed red and she was glad for the cover of darkness. "TJ," she warned.

"Oh come on. You know everyone is dying to know what he's like. There's all kinds of speculation."

"What's the general consensus?" Chloe asked, suddenly curious.

"Split actually. Everyone either seems to think he's great in bed or that he's so self absorbed he must be lousy. Come on, it's just me. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Well," Chloe said. "He's brilliant at everything he does. Let's leave it at that."

TJ slapped her shoulder and shifted in her chair, trying to find a position that wasn't terribly uncomfortable. "You know we can't leave it like that. Does that dark intensity translate?"

For all her embarrassment, Chloe also felt a sense of relief. She had missed being able to talk to other women, to giggle over guys like they weren't trapped on a hunk of Ancient metal. "Okay," she said after a few moments. "Did you play an instrument in school?"

"Clarinet."

"Did your band ever take a field trip to see a symphony orchestra or something like mine did?"

"Sure. We got to go every year."

"I played trumpet," Chloe continued. "My junior year our band was playing part of the Planets Suite by Holst. The Mars part. And that year we got to go see the San Francisco Symphony do the entire piece. Now our band was pretty good. You had to try out to get in and all that. But when we were sitting in that theater listening to these gifted, and experienced musicians we all went, 'oh that's how it's supposed to be.' Being with Nick is kind of like that."

"Wow," TJ said after a minute.

"Yeah."

TJ was about to say more when the lights flickered on and the door slid open.

"On that note," Chloe said as she stood to leave.

"Chloe!" TJ called after her, standing up halfway.

"What?" Chloe said. She turned, expecting to see some kind of impish grin on TJ's face and then froze when what she actually saw was panic and pain. "TJ? What's wrong?"

TJ looked down at the puddle that had suddenly appeared on the chair she'd been sitting in. "My water broke," she said through gritted teeth.

_Tbc_

_Ooh cliffhanger. For those of you who are upset at the lack of Rush in this chapter please know that he will soon appear!_

_Please review, they make me update faster._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As she helped TJ to lay down on the bed, and simultaneously breath through a contraction, Chloe grabbed the radio and spoke frantically. "Colonel, TJ's in labor. You need to get down here."

"_Jesus Christ," _came the reply. "_I can't get there. I'm still trapped in my quarters."_

"What? The power's back."

"_Not everywhere."_ This time it was Volker's voice. _"We have the control room, the mess, sickbay, and the labs but the quarters and pretty much everything else is still down."_

"_Have you figured out what's going on yet?" _Young asked.

"_It appears to just be routine maintenance. We think the ship is programmed to do it every once in a while."_

"Can you stop it?"This time it was Chloe who asked the question. She was doing her best to help TJ out of her uniform and into one of the makeshift hospital gowns. "Or speed it up. From the looks of things, we might not have a lot of time."

"_Well Rush was working on overriding the program but he just grabbed Eli and left and I'm not sure exactly what he was doing."_

"_What do you mean he left?"_ Young's voice was dangerously low, but Chloe could hear the panic underneath. _"Where the hell is he?"_

Chloe jumped when she felt a hand take the radio away from her. Rush was now inexplicably beside her, Eli standing right behind. Rush brought the radio to his face and spoke calmly to Young. "I'm in sickbay," he said. "Volker will be able to figure it out."

"_What could you possibly be in sick bay for?" Volker asked._

"Because I'm relatively certain that Lieutenant Johansen is not in a position to deliver this baby herself."

For a moment Chloe, Eli and Rush's attention was taken away from the radio by TJ having another contraction. The sound of Young calling for Rush eventually came through.

"_Explain to me how you being there is of more use than trying to get us out of here?" _the colonel demanded.

Rush took up the radio again, his face full of both concentration and irritation. "Because my mother was a dammed midwife!" he all but shouted. "Now will you please shut up while we try to bring your child into the world?" With that he shut the radio off and tossed it to Chloe.

"He's going to kill you for that you know," Chloe said, dropping the radio onto a chair.

"We'll deal with him later."

"They're too close together," TJ interjected. "It's not supposed to be happening this fast."

"Not to worry," Rush said, his voice as calm as it ever was. "I once helped my mother with a delivery that took only half an hour." He glanced down between her legs, causing Eli to turn bright red and look away.

"If I had to guess though," Rush continued, "I'd say you've been in labor for a while now Lieutenant. Having backaches and bad heartburn today?"

TJ nodded. "Yes. And I think you can call me TJ now that you've seen my birth canal."

Chloe chuckled and received a questioning look from Eli. She shrugged. She had known about Rush's mother. She had asked him about his childhood and he told her that until he was twelve, he had often helped his mother when she attended births in their neighborhood. So the fact that he was currently standing between TJ's legs which were covered by only a sheet didn't bother her in the least.

"Fair enough," Rush said. He looked over at his two assistants by default. "I need each of you to be braces for her legs. Hold them back by the knee and calf so she can have some leverage. TJ, when you feel the next contraction start pushing."

TJ did as she was instructed and for a while the only sounds in the room were her screams and Rush's steady encouragement. But after a few more contractions Chloe could see that Rush's face was growing more and more concerned. When he looked up and caught her eye, Chloe knew something was wrong. She watched as he took a breath and looked over at TJ.

"What is it?" TJ said, also having figured out that something wasn't right.

"I think the cord is wrapped around the baby's throat," Rush explained, his voice still calm.

"Oh god," TJ said, tears mixing with the sweat that was already running down her face.

"I'm going to have to try and unwrap it."

"It's gonna be okay," Eli said, reaching over to wipe TJ's face clean with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"Yes it is," Rush agreed, once again meeting Chloe's eye. She gave him a supportive smile and nodded once. He mirrored both actions and then went to work trying to save the child.

Chloe watched in amazement at the delicate way he moved, working to untangle the umbilical cord. For a moment, she almost forgot that TJ and Eli were in the room. She stopped hearing TJ's cries and Eli repeating that everything would be alright. All she saw was the concentration on Rush's face, the way he ignored the fact that the sleeves of his only long sleeved shirt were now splattered with blood. All she heard were the soothing words he spoke to an infant who hadn't even been born yet, let alone could understand him.

After what seemed like hours she saw him smile and then, like a miracle, there was a baby in his arms. The child was slightly blue but the screaming cries assured them all that the windpipe was no longer constricted. Rush stood up straight and handed the baby to Chloe, who wrapped it in a towel.

Rush quickly cut the cord and tied it off, allowing Chloe to hand the child to TJ. "She's fine," she said.

"She?" TJ and Eli said at the same time.

"Aye," Rush said.

The makeshift birthing team watched as TJ held the tiny creature. Even Eli found himself counting fingers. After a few minutes Rush spoke, "Chloe, you can go clean her off. We have to finish up here."

"There's more?" Eli said.

When everything was finally over and the baby back in TJ's arms, Chloe remembered the others. She picked up the radio and turned it back on.

"Colonel?" she said into the static.

"_I'm here. What's happening? Did that son of a bitch turn off the radio?"_

Chloe felt anger boiling up inside her, but before she could respond TJ grabbed the radio from her. "That son of a bitch just saved your daughter's life. And if you ever want to see her then you'll remember that fact."

There was a pause on the other end. "_Daughter? It's a girl?"_

TJ looked back at the now sleeping child in her arms. "It's a girl," she confirmed, a fresh round of tears starting.

Another pause. _"The power is still out. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

TJ handed the phone to Eli who told her the baby was beautiful before high tailing it out of there. "You think he'll ever recover?" TJ asked, not able to hide her tired grin.

"Probably not," replied Chloe. She turned away from the new mother and saw Rush washing up at one of the counters. She walked over and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his back. "That was pretty amazing," she said.

Rush shook his arms dry, though his sleeves were still damp where he had succeeded in getting at least some of the blood off. He turned in her arms. "It always is. Every time I helped my mother it was like this crazy new experience. It never felt the same twice. And sometimes we would be at these places until early in the morning and she would let me miss school and we'd just stay home. I missed those days after she died."

They stood in each other's arms for a while. Giving TJ a chance to be alone with her new child and giving them a chance to come down from the adrenaline high of the situation. Eventually TJ called them over. Rush leaned down and gave Chloe a quick kiss before they walked back over to the bed.

"Dr. Rush," TJ said.

"I think you can call me Nicolas now that I've seen your birth canal."

TJ laughed. "Fair enough. I don't know how to thank you," she said, tears welling in her eyes once again.

"That won't be necessary," Rush assured her. Chloe slid an arm around his waist and he wrapped his around her shoulders.

"I'm in your debt. You and your mother."

"Well if she were alive I'm sure she'd want me to tell you how foolish it was not to realize you were in labor much sooner."

"I'll keep that in mind. Do you want to hold her?"

Rush nodded and gently took the child from her arms. She really was a beautiful child, not scrunched up the way many newborns were. He held her in the crook of his arm and rocked slowly back and forth. "Are you planning on naming her or just calling her 'girl?'"

"Since she'll be the only one for at least a while that could actually work," Chloe pointed out.

TJ shook her head and looked up at Rush. "What was your mother's name?" she asked.

Rush swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "Margaret," he whispered.

"Margaret," TJ repeated, trying the name out.

"Maggie," Chloe put in. "Maggie Johansen."

TJ smiled. "Maggie Johansen."

"Thank you," Rush said. "Now you better get some rest."

Certain that her daughter was in good hands, TJ closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep. Rush and Chloe stood quietly staring at little Maggie as she also continued to sleep. The peace was broken by footsteps running down the hall.

When Young appeared in the doorway Rush looked up and nodded at the other man. Young managed an apologetic look before crossing to the bed. "I suppose you'd like your daughter now," Rush said, handing the baby over. Young held the child a little awkwardly. "Support her head then," Rush instructed. "She's only a half hour old." With that he walked out of the room.

"Did TJ name her?" Young asked, his voice slightly raspy.

"Margaret," Chloe said. "Well, Maggie."

"I like it. Margaret Young."

"Johansen," Chloe corrected. Then she followed Rush out of the room, leaving the new family alone.

News of the birth travelled quickly. By the next evening everyone had been by to see the new addition to Destiny's crew. Chloe had been there most of the day, acting as a gatekeeper when TJ or Maggie got tired of all the attention. Young was there as well, taking the congratulations and slaps on the back with good natured awkwardness.

But it wasn't until the next night, after everyone but Chloe had gone, that Rush appeared in the doorway again. "Is it alright to come in?" he asked. He was wearing the new shirt Young had found for him as a way of apologizing.

TJ nodded, waving him over. He caught eyes with Chloe who was holding Maggie. When he reached them she held the child out to him. He took the baby. "Hello again," he said. "I see you do have eyes after all." Maggie just continued looking up at him.

Rush shifted the child to the crook of one arm and reached to his back pocket with his free hand. "I um…I brought…well here." He handed TJ a wooden object.

Chloe smiled. She had seen him working on the piece for weeks now. Carving it with the same care he had used on his chess pieces, using some wood from a planet they'd stopped at several months back.

TJ turned the toy around in her hands. It clearly was a dog, though it didn't seem to be any purebred breed she recognized. It looked like a golden retriever but with pointy ears and a skinny tail. Not sure what to say, and aware of how self-conscious Rush already felt, she simply thanked him and told him how beautiful it was.

Rush simply shrugged. "Every kid needs a dog."

**The End**

_Thanks to those of you who have read this whole series. I think there might be more in the future. Plus anything involving Rush and a small child will probably be fun to write._

_Please review._


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